Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton waves as she arrives to speak at Adams City High School in Commerce City on Aug. 3

I’m a product of Colorado public schools — from the Holly School District to Colorado State University to the University of Colorado Law School. And I’ve devoted the last two decades to fighting for strong public schools, where our best and brightest come to teach and the next generation — regardless of their background — receive the same opportunity to learn.

Hillary Clinton shares that commitment. She has spoken time and time again of her belief that every child deserves a world-class education, with good schools and good teachers, no matter what ZIP code they live in. And she has a comprehensive plan to strengthen our public schools and make sure that belief stays a reality.

Clinton’s plan to strengthen public education comes down to three pillars: teaching, learning and community. First and foremost, teaching. Great teachers are what make our public education system so powerful. They have a singular power to make a deep and lasting difference in a child’s life. Every school, and every child, deserves great teachers. That means attracting our best and brightest to choose teaching as a profession, and ensuring they receive the training, support and respect they deserve. Clinton will launch a national campaign to modernize and elevate the profession of teaching, which includes ensuring that educators have the preparation they need to succeed in the classroom and continued support to keep learning, innovating, and advancing their careers.

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Second is learning. We need to educate children for the future, not the past, and make sure they have the skills they need to succeed in today’s high-tech global economy. That means ensuring all public schools in America, in addition to strong math, language and science skills, offer computer science education. And we need to make sure that access to strong public education starts with our youngest learners. Studies show again and again that preschool and early childhood education is a key factor in determining educational — and economic — success later in life. Clinton will double our investment in Early Head Start and make preschool universal for every 4-year-old in America.

Just as important as holding schools accountable is lifting up schools that succeed. We have great public schools here in America making great strides in engaging communities and overcoming challenges to make sure students succeed. That’s why Clinton won’t focus only on so-called “failing schools.” She’ll focus on our great schools, too, so that when schools get it right, she’ll work to share their best practices across America.

The final keystone is community. So much of what happens inside the classroom is determined by what happens outside the classroom. Clinton will end the school-to-prison pipeline. She’ll help create more community schools. She’ll build on the highly successful Build America Bonds program to provide cities and towns with the capital they need to rebuild their schools. She’ll make sure that children who need it have access to the mental health services they deserve. Most importantly, she’ll work to build inclusive communities where children can feel safe at home, on the streets, and in the classroom — because students won’t learn if they’re worrying about what could happen on the way home or where to get their next meal.

I’ve always believed that the public school system is an important aspect our democracy, a system that, at its best, means that every child in every part of America has the same opportunity to succeed — whether that means a girl from urban Denver making our next great scientific discovery or a boy from a rural Colorado ranching town going on to govern the state. Public schools are architects of equality. That is why, now more than ever, we must work to strengthen them, rather than turning our backs on them. And that is why Hillary Clinton is dedicated to fighting for public education, so that every child in America has access to the same opportunities that built our country.

Roy Romer was Colorado’s 39th governor and was superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District from 2001-06.

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